1) Iceland experienced a period of rapid economic growth in the late 20th century led by powerful businessmen called the "Greymen" who came to dominate the economy and politics. 2) The 2008 global financial crisis devastated Iceland and exposed the unsustainable practices of the Greymen, leaving the capital city of Reykjavik grey and gloomy. 3) In response, citizens began secretly knitting colorful art installations across the city to lift spirits and reconnect disconnected neighborhoods, transforming the grey city into a more vibrant place.

1. The secret knitters and the Greymen
a story of a little colourful revolution
by: Olafia Zoega

2. 64°08′N 21°56′W
103.000 km2
320 000 inhabitants
= Iceland

3. Iceland is a peaceful country.
It has hardly any trees.
But a lot of sheep.

4. It was settled around 900 ac. by young
Norwegians mostly, who were escaping
hardship back home.........

5. In 1262 the Icelanders surrendered to the
king of Norway after decades of internal
battles.
It stayed Norwegian until 1380 when
Norway went under Denmark after the
male Royal line died out.
After gradually gaining more and more
independance Iceland became a free country
on the 17th of June 1944.

6. This was a community of peasants living in turf houses that kept
them warm during the cool summers and in the relentless winter
storms.
There was hardly any urban settlement on the country but in 1786
Reykjavík was granted capital status and started growing rapidly.
Earthquakes and volcanic eruption has always played a big part in
the life of the Icelanders and often caused them grief.

7. The 20th century was a very colourful time. It was the time
Icelanders stepped out of farmlife and into Wall Street with great
plans of taking over the world.
One recession followed the other and the great global resession of
1929 lasted until the second world war.
Then came war-money (that did not last very long) and the
Americans set up base in Keflavik where they stayed for the next
60 years.
Most of the recessions were linked to the fisheries in one way or
the other but after a crisis in the beginning of the nineties things
were looking up.
O-ooo

8. But late 20th century things started really to turn for the worse.
Iceland was on it´s way up in the world. It was the party capital,
the place where music and footballers bloomed and the place
everybody wanted to be.
It became the richest country in the world per capital and
privatization of banks, media and businesses was happening
very fast. Globalization took a sharp turn and suddenly tiny little
Iceland was buying up huge businesses in England, Denmark and
all over.
The people were happy, they had everything they ever wanted, and
if they didn´t the banks just lend them money to get it!
And in the background stood the Greymen, and watched carefully.

9. A Grayman
Sees business oppurtunities everywhere. Would sell his
grandmother for the right price.
No heart + no soul.
A briefcase filled with monopoly money for buying
Magasin Du Nord, Debenhams, Sterling Air and more.
Plans for world domination:
Buy up every business in Iceland.
Sell Iceland piece by piece, overprized.
Use profit to buy up other small countries, make them
hip and then sell off again for great profit.
And so it goes on until they own everything and control
the world.

10. The capital of Reykjavík has 120 000 thousand inhabitants and the greater
Reykjavík area 200.000. That is 2/3 of the whole population.
In 1900 it had about 6000 inhabitants and since then it grew continuously.
Suburbs started to emerge in the sixties.
It was always a rather low rise town until the end of the 20th century
where great grey towers started to rise all over the capital area and the city
grew with such speed that nobody managed to keep control.
1900
These were the doings of the Greymen.
1997
1942
2009

11. The country was sectretly being held hostage by the
Greymen who now owned everything.
The media.
The banks.
The goverment.
The Grey Capital

12. But on a dark autumn day in 2008 the world of the Greymen came
tumbling down.
An economical crisis hit the world and the truth about Iceland became
clear. There was no money, there was no greatness..... There would be no
world domination!
It all went away and disappeared along with the Greymen.
Cay
man Islands

13. And behind sat an angry nation. What happened? Why did this happen? Where the hell is the money????
People rushed into the streets armed with kitchen utensils and protested! They banged on pots and pans
and wanted the government to step down and they wanted answers! And the government put up little
resistance and stepped down and a new, left wing government took over.!!!!

14. And grey and gloomy times hit Iceland. The legacy of the
greymen was very visible.
Most of all in the capital of Reykjavík.
The suburbs were grey, the centre was grey... the people
were slowly becoming grey....

15. All over the greater Reykjavík area you could find these dead places
that were starting to influence the area around them and people
living in the city.
News on radio and television all evolved around people loosing their
jobs, debt of the Icelandic government, the Greymen and so forth......
City centre

16. And while some plots stood empty or half-built others
stood finished with empty structures.
Luxurious apartments with a view to die for in the heart
of the city centre.
But this “luxury”, was only experienced from the
inside.

17. Nobody talked to the people.
The government was busy
trying to rescue what was
left....
Finally people got tired of
waiting....and took matters
into their own hands....

18. Artists and engaged people gave some of
their time for the better of the community.
And this started to change the greyness.

19. People got smitten by this sudden burst of colour and
activity. This new positive energy burst out in...knitting!

20. First people just knittet for family and friends, children
knittet, parents knittet, single people knittet, designers
knittet, firemen knittet, the mayor knittet, even the
president knittet.
And it escalated.

21. In the city centre strange things started to appear........
Secret knitters seemed to be everywhere......

22. Early one morning... colourful trees filled
a large empty building site downtown.....

23. A glass tower in the decaying business district was
suddenly dressed in a wool sweater....

24. A concrete skeleton was covered in colours and
patterns of all kind.....

25. A facade in the city center came falling
down in a winter storm.
This was in a
luxury apartment
neighbourhood in the
city centre where the
majority of apartments
were empty.
One day these facades
appeared knitted in
strong colours.

26. These phenomenons were now appearing all over the city centre.
industry
harbour
new music house
old city
government
residential
city hall mai residential
n sh business
opp
ing district
area
residential

27. And so the grey city started to change. The Greymen were gone and the left behind a legacy
that was not sustainable. The scale of their structures and plans was not coherant with the
scale of the city of Reykjavík and the speed things were planned and built ment that there
was no time for consideration.
There is nothing wrong with building a grey house. But if you build only grey houses and
construct grey places, the result will be a grey city.
Knitting these places is one way that people could bring something familiar into a situation
that had grown astrange to them. How is it possible to knit these detached places back into
the city structure? Is that the right way to go about it?
The situation and where Iceland was heading was detached from reality and then when
finally faced with a very real situation, it didn´t hold.
Building a sustainable enviroment means taking into consideration traditions, culture and
new and old mehods of creating. What has been built in Reykjavík the past decade or more is
not sustainable. It´s already created great problems within the city.
When there is now almost a total stop within the building sector and a lot of architects and
planners are out of jobs there is actually time to consider and think about what consequences
our actions have.
What is really needed? And what can be done to achieve that..... in smaller but sustainable
steps!